Welcome to 2020!
I realize that welcome is exactly one day too late. One
should really wish people a Happy New Year on the 1st, not the 2nd. However, in
my humble opinion, it's never too late for one to begin thinking about their
goals for a new year.
Keep in mind that I have
a specific reason for saying goals and not resolutions. Resolutions, it seems,
are made to be broken within two or three weeks of the beginning of a new year.
Goals, however, are something that you can keep working on and striving towards
even if you fail initially. You can thank my former roommate, Ryan Heft, for
those profound words of wisdom.
All of this really got me thinking about what my goals for
2020 are. Then, it got me thinking, what are my kids' goals for the new year? I
can easily put together some for Ethan since he is unable to otherwise
communicate them to me. For Ellie, I figured she could tell me her goals for
the year rather easily. I might have been a little wrong in making that
assumption though. Although, it must be said that I didn't ask her for her
goals until tonight around 6:45 when we were getting Ellie ready for bed which
might be part of the issue. Regardless, Ellie does have one single, solitary
goal she could communicate.
"I want to go to a park." Yes, Ellie's single
biggest goal for the year is to go to a park. It's not bad, but I feel like I
can add to it and help her expand on them. With that, I would like to present (my
version of) Ellie's goals for 2020.
1. Learn to read
2. Spend more time outside
3. Improve at riding her bike
4. Be kind to her friends and family
5. Continue memorizing her memory verses
6. Eat less junk food and more healthy snacks
I feel like all of those are pretty stellar goals for a
three-year-old. In fact, spending more time outside is one of my goals as well.
Numbers 4 and 6 would also be pretty good for me to work on as well. Ethan's
goals are a little more difficult to figure out though. My best guess would be
some combination of the following.
1. Master walking
2. Learn to feed himself with utensils
3. Begin to speak
4. Learn to self-soothe
5. Sleep through the night
In case you're wondering, 4 and 5 are the biggest
wants/needs for Bethany and I when it comes to Ethan's list. We are desperately
ready for our little guy to start sleeping through the night. Even though we're
beginning to make a little progress in that department, we still seem to be
quite a ways from achieving that goal. Although, I guess we do have a full year
to make it happen.
Last but not least, I feel it's important for me to share my
goals. After all, what kind of dad would I be if I just put my kids on the spot
without their knowledge and wasn't willing to do the same to myself. With that,
allow me to share my 2020 goals with you in no particular order.
1. Spend more time outdoors
2. Read more books, including my Bible
3. Pray more often
4. Show more patience with my wife and kids
5. Better enjoy all of the time I have with Ellie and
Ethan
5. Exercise
I'm sure there's plenty of other goals I should have.
However, those are the initial ones that come to mind. It's definitely
important to me that I improve my spiritual life over 2019. Being in my Bible
enough was somewhat of a struggle for me at times which bled into my prayer
life. Patience and enjoying time with the kids was also a huge issue for me.
Although, anyone who spends this much time with a three-year-old and a
ten-month-old can see why. However, that's no excuse for me to have a negative
attitude. After all, as soon as next fall when Ellie starts preschool, I'll be
practically begging to have more time with my daughter. I just need to make
sure I'm making the most of each and every moment.
Come to think of it, there is one more goal I'd be lying
about it if I didn't mention it. I do want to watch through 'The Office' at
least one more time before it leaves Netflix next January 1st. And guess what?
I really think I can do it! #DaddyWrite
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